Carson Hocevar will compete for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honours in 2021. On Thursday, Niece Motorsports announced Hocevar will contest the full Truck Series schedule next season after spending 2020 on a part-time slate.
“I’m so excited to get the opportunity to race fulltime next year with the Niece Motorsports group,” Hocevar said in a release. “We’ve had some really strong runs in the few starts that we’ve had this season and I am grateful for the chance to continue that next year. I’ve learned so much already this year and know that we will keep improving next year too.”
Hocevar made his Truck Series début in 2019 on the dirt at Eldora Speedway, finishing twenty-fifth for Jordan Anderson Racing. Much of his major stock car starts that year came in the ARCA Menards Series, where he recorded top-ten finishes in ten of twelve starts before joining Niece for a nine-race Truck schedule in 2020. After the 2020 Truck Series schedule was thrown out of its original order due to COVID-19, Hocevar’s first start of the season came at the Daytona road course in August, where he finished twenty-eighth. In five starts for Niece to date, Hocevar’s best finish is twelfth at Dover; he recently finished seventeenth in the series’ latest event at Bristol.
“As an organization we’ve been really impressed with Carson’s ability to race at these tracks that he hasn’t seen before, with no track time before the race,” Niece Motorsports general manager Cody Efaw stated. “He’s a great racer and continues to learn and improve every time he gets behind the wheel. We have no doubt that Carson will be in contention for wins next year.”
The 17-year-old Michigan native began racing stock cars in 2015 after enjoying success on dirt. Mentored by 2008 Truck Series champion Johnny Benson, Hocevar also races for his family-owned operation in Super Late Models, winning five races so far in 2020. Just two days after the Truck race at Bristol, he won the ARCA/CRA Super Series event at Toledo Speedway for his third consecutive SLM victory.
“Carson has really impressed us this season,” team owner Al Niece commented. “He’s proven his talent – getting into the truck with no track time and really holding his own. We’re thrilled to have him with us fulltime next season and look forward to contending for wins together.”
Hocevar’s 2020 Truck starts have come in Niece’s #40, which he shares with Ross Chastain, Garrett Smithley, Ryan Truex, T.J. Bell, and Trevor Bayne. Truex will drive the truck in Friday’s race at Las Vegas; the #40 is eighteenth in the owners’ standings.
